BBA upsets U-32

BBA junior goalie Molly Dingley keeps an eye out for the puck as she gets ready to make a save during the third period of Wednesday night's game against U-32. Dingley had 15 saves in BBA's upset win over U-32.

BBA freshman Chloe MacDonald steals the puck from a U-32 player during the second period of Wednesday night's game. MacDonald had two goals to help the Bulldogs win their third game of the season

BBA senior Aggie Bisselle fires a shot towards the net with a U-32 defender bearing down on her during the second period of Wednesday night's game. Bisselle had four goals and two assists in the Bulldogs' 6-2 win over U-32.

MANCHESTER — The taste of winning was sweet for the Burr and Burton Academy girls hockey team when they defeated Spaulding over the weekend, but their win against U-32 tasted even sweeter.

The Bulldogs upset the number one ranked team in Division II on Wednesday night, 6-2, for their third victory of the season.

Coming into the game at 2-9-2, the Bulldogs were heavy underdogs against the 11-3 Raiders, especially since they lost 9-1 to U-32 earlier in the season.

With some redemption on their mind, BBA came out with something to prove, said senior Aggie Bisselle, and they sure did it so from start to finish.

After almost a whole first period of back and forth fast-paced hockey that saw the two teams deadlock at 0-0, the Bulldogs finally broke through when Bisselle fed a great pass to teammate Chloe MacDonald in front of the net and the freshman knocked it in for the first goal of the game.

Just over a minute later, Bisselle created opportunity for herself to score a goal, by spinning around two defenders and slapping a shot right over the goalie's pad to give BBA a 2-0 lead going into the second period.

"It was really big for us to get out ahead early," Bisselle said. "I think once we were able to get shots on net consistently that it opened up everything for us and we took advantage of it."

In the opening minutes of the second period, Bisselle was at it again, skating past defenders and firing into the net to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.

The senior admitted that she had a different edge to her tonight that made her look unstoppable all game, weaving past defenders and getting shots on net at will all night.

"We're all sick of losing and my goal tonight was to come out and lead the team to a win," Bisselle said. "We love getting that winning feeling back last week and I wanted that feeling going since we need wins if we want to make the playoffs."

Bisselle's determination to win was flowing through the veins of all her teammates, especially MacDonald, whose hustle down near the net to pick up a rebound midway through the second period helped her pick up her second goal of the game.

"It was great to come out with a bang tonight and help the team beat a really good team in U-32," MacDonald said. "It was an adrenaline booster when I scored that first goal and that help me ease into the game better."

Leading 4-0 with five minutes to play in the second period, Bisselle kept revving up her team to help seal up the upset victory, by stealing a pass from a U-32 player at the blue line and then firing a one-time past the Raiders goaltender to complete the hat trick.

The senior wasn't done yet, though.

After the Raiders scored a power play goal to make a 5-1 game going into the third period, Bisselle made sure that there was no comeback on the rise for U-32.

In typical Bisselle fashion, the tall blonde senior twirled around two defenders and fired a shot through the net to give BBA back its five-goal lead.

Bisselle finished with a game-high four goals and two assists, giving her six points on the night. She also now has 27 goals on the season.

BBA goalie Molly Dingley had 15 saves on the night, while only allowing two goals. Dingley has not given up more than two goals in the past five games.

"This was a huge win for us," said BBA coach Ed Lewicki. "They're the top team in our division and the fact that we outplayed all night, shows that we're getting better as a team."

With the win BBA is now 3-9-2 on the season and the Bulldogs will look to make it three wins in a row on Saturday when they host Harwood at 5 p.m.

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